This FAQ is pretty much complete, unless someone surprises me with new information. Or if SS3 comes out... HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SAMURAI SPIRITS CHARACTERS v. 7.0 Many of the characters in Samurai Spirits are based on historical or fictional characters. However, it is important to realize that these are historical figures seen through the lens of popular culture. Many legends have been woven around the Yagyu clan. Hattori Hanzo is considered the archtypal ninja in Japan, and consequently his life has probably been greatly embellished. Similarly, Musashi is regarded as the archtypal samurai or kensei. In this case, the popular image of Musashi in modern Japan has been shaped by Yoshikawa Eiji's book "Musashi", which is a sort of "fictional biography" of his life. Curiously enough, the fictional samurai Kyoshiro can be seen as an anti-archetype of Musashi. At any rate, the game designers have based many of their characters on their knowledge of famous fighters in Japanese popular culture. Haohmaru Based on Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), the classic model of the samurai. Musashi was a ronin when he was young, roaming the countryside and testing his skill against various opponents. (sounds familiar...) His religion was The Way of the Sword, in which he hoped to gain enlightenment through perfect mental control and physical skill. (like arcade players today :-) The basis of this philosophy is Zen Buddhism, which advocates the negation of wordly attachments and emotions to attain a higher state of non-being. Thus, this goal came at the expense of everything else, even love (this sorta explains Haohmaru's ending...) and personal appearance (which explains Haohmaru's haircut). However, the cocky attitude that Haohmaru adopts was NOT displayed by Musashi, who viewed everything with the utmost seriousness. Musashi developed the fighting technique of using two swords at once (although Haohmaru only has one). He also eventually became a samurai of the Hasokawa daiymo, which had previously employed his rival Genryu earlier. Despite his famous martial prowess, Musashi gradually came to believe that enlightenment could also be achieved through the arts as well, and became a notable painter and woodsculptor. He left a famous book on the art of swordfighting, "The Book of Five Rings", that (curiously enough) has been used to advise businessmen today how to become better competitors! Note on the "Crescent Moon Slash": this may actually be based on the "Full Moon Cut" used by Nemuri Kyoshiro (see below). In both moves, the sword is swung in a circle to obliterate all enemies around oneself. Note on Oshizu: Probably based on Otsu, Musashi's girlfriend. He was torn between his quest as a Zen swordsman and his attachment to Otsu, just like Haohmaru. Caffeine Nicotine Musashi (at least according to Yoshikawa) did have a Zen Buddhist monk as a mentor during his early years named Soho Takuan. Whether this is historically true is debatable, but Takuan was a real person--there's a pickle named after him! His teachings on Zen also had a great influence on the historical Musashi's approach to fighting and life. In addition, he was a personal mentor to both the Shogun and Yagyu Munenori, and influenced both their Zen approaches to swordsmanship. Of course, Takuan did not puff joints, drink coffee, or throw talismans around, and he was NOT a fighter in his early years, like Nicotine. But that's probably the best basis for him. The monk named Dakuan (!) in Jubei Ninja Chronicles bears a remarkable resemblance to Nicotine, although Dakuan is more sinister looking and not half as wacky (many of the SS designers also worked on that anime). Tachibana Ukyo Based on Sasaki Kojiro Genryu (1572--1612), Musashi's skilled rival. Genryu wielded a VERY long sword called the "Drying Pole". He was reputed to be the most skilled swordsman around, and could slice swallows in mid-air, according to Yoshikawa. The preface to the Book of Five Rings says that he developed a sword technique inspired by the movement of a swallow's tail in flight. This is the basis of Ukyo's "swoop swallow slice". Genryu even named the school of swordsmanship he founded Tsumabe Gaeshi. Despite his skill, during their duel Musashi killed him in one blow (two, according to some accounts). Just like Ukyo and Haohmaru, Musashi and Genryu fought on an isle off of the coast of Japan, and Musashi showed up late for the duel as a psychological tactic (this could explain why Ukyo and Haohmaru are at the same place, but totally different times). After he defeated Genryu, the island was renamed Genryu Isle ("Gairyu Isle"), although it's actually by Shimonoseki and not where the SS map says it is. Note that this was Musashi's most famous duel, and is pretty much a cultural reference in Japan. In the book "Musashi", Genryu comes off as a totally selfish and arrogant person. Yoshikawa made him the symbol of a swordsman gifted with "mere" technical virtuosity, to contrast him against Musashi's spiritual strength. He's not a womanizer either. However, later Murakami Genzo wrote a best-selling novel about Sasaki Kojiro, depicting him in a more heroic light. This Genryu was an aristocratic, dignified swordsman, who was a hearthrob with the ladies. His amorous affairs, fancy clothes, and sophisticated air were contrasted sharply with Musashi's rough-and-tumble look and attitude. He also had a sense of -aware-, a Japanese word meaning a deep understanding of both the briefness and sweetness of life. This is probably the portrayal of Genryu that Ukyo is based on. However, neither Yoshikawa's nor Murakami's Genryu had blue hair :-) Note on Ukyo's sword and fighting style: I strongly suspect that these two aspects of his design are not based on Genryu, but instead the blind swordsman Zato Ichi, a character in a series of popular movies. For one, Ukyo's unusual sword looks EXACTLY like Zato's "cane sword." Zato kept the blade sheathed in his cane most of the time, but could draw it at lightning-quick speeds to dispatch his enemies, just like Ukyo. Being blind, he used sound to locate his enemies. Ukyo is obviously not blind, but his quirky style of facing away from his enemy may be inspired by Zato's blind technique. Historically, during the duel with Musashi, Genryu was wearing an -iga-bakama- (skirt) and straw sandals, just like Ukyo. Incidentally, a tachibana is a type of mandarin orange. SS2--As for Ukyo having tuberculosis, Genryu never came down with it. He didn't live long enough. Zato's rival did have TB though. Yagyu Jubei The Yagyus were a famous line of samurai. Yagyu Muneyoshi was a samurai renown for his skill with the sword and his general samurai prowness. His son, Yagyu Munenori became the personal sword instructor of the Tokugawa shoguns. The son of Munenori was Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi (1606-1644), who also started out as the shogun's sword instructor but was dismissed for unclear reasons. It was rumored that this was actually a cover for Jubei to go on covert missions for the shogun or the emperor (hence his nickname in SS, "The Emperor's Secret Servant"). Because of this, popular legend holds that that Jubei actually became sort of a samurai-ninja. He was supposed to have roamed the countryside in the guise of a ronin, hiding his face behind an -amigasa- (straw hat). He searched out threats to the Shogun's rule, and often revealed his true identity right before finishing off enemies. He later "officially" re-entered into the service of the Shogun, and wrote many books on the Yagyu style of swordsmanship. It was during his exile years during which many tall tales are woven around him. He is often depicted with an eyepatch, said to be the result of a childhood accident when his father threw a stone at him to determine his reflexes towards fencing. Nice father... :-) Nothing said about Jubei using two swords, although Musashi was said to have introduced this technique. Interestingly, in the book "Musashi", Yagyu Muneyoshi had retired from ruling his domain, and lived in seclusion in a small house nestled in a bamboo grove behind it! Perhaps Jubei inherited his grandfather's hideaway? Note that while Jubei is placed at Tosa, Kochi, the actual location of the Yagyu fief is between Kyoto and Nara. Hattori Hanzo Hattori Hanzo (1541-1596) actually existed, and was the most famous of the ninjas of Iga (Iga province has been connected with ninja activities throughout history). Hattori Hanzo Masashige's nickname was "Devil Hanzo," and he engaged in such ninja-associated activities as night raids on enemy castles. Through complex circumstances, Oda Nobunaga felt compelled to invade Iga, brutally crushing all resistance and using scorched-earth tactics. This may explain the desolate background in Hanzo's stage, although SS puts him in Yamada, not Iga, for unknown reasons. Ieyasu Tokugawa later welcomed the ninjas as his allies. As a result, Hanzo and other ninjas fought for Ieyasu Tokugawa in his quest to reunite Japan. SS2--The historical Hanzo did not have sons named Kanzo or Shinzo. He did have a son named Iwani-no-kami Masanari who was, of course, *not* possessed by the spirit of Amakuza or anyone else. Wan Fu Wan Fu seems to be a combination of two famous Chinese warriors. The first is a famous Chinese swordsman who was a rebel during the Ch'ing Dynasty. His name was Wang Ts-bin Wu, but he became known as Da Dao Wang Wu ("Big Scimitar Wang Wu"). He was from a well-off Peking family, and studied first Kung Fu and later swordsmanship under a different master. His nickname came from the giant dao he wielded in combat, and he became one of the greatest swordsmen of China. He also had a red complexion. (note that Wan Fu is red much of the time...) Wang Wu was also a just man who fought for the poor and oppressed against the Ch'ing Empire. Because of this, he is still a folk hero to many Chinese. Wang Wu died in the Boxer Rebellion while trying to save a woman from being raped by a soldier. The connections between Wang Wu and Wan Fu are the similar names and time periods in which each person exists, and the fact that Wang Wu wielded a big scimitar, just like Wan Fu. (I am indebted to "Roach" for this information) The second lead bases Wan Fu upon the ancient, almost legendary, founder of the Chou Dynasty, King Wu Wang. At this time (1100 B.C.) China was a fragmented country of kingdoms and kings. King Wu became famous for his martial prowess when he conquered the rival Sheng Kingdom and incorporated it into the Kingdom of the Chou. He moved the capital of his kingdom to Hao, now called Sian. There is evidence that King Wu wanted to unify all of known China, but he died before that could be accomplished. Confucious cites him as an example of a strong and virtuous king. The connections between King Wu and Wan Fu are that both are king ofs Sian and both are military conquerors. It also explains the historical discrepancy of "King" Wan Fu (during the time period of SS, China was unified under the Ch'ing dynasty so Wan Fu can't be a king). SS2--the short blurb about Wan Fu says that he is destined to unify all of China, which furthers the incongruity with the SS time period and offers more support to the "King Wu" theory, as King Wu also wanted to unify China. For further confusion, Wan Fu has a pigtail, which the Manchus required all Chinese to have. So does this mean that "King Wan Fu" is still under the domain of the Ch'ing Dynasty? Someone should ask him... Senryo Kyoshiro Kyoshiro is based on a fictional character named Nemuri Kyoshiro. "Sleepy-Eyed Kyoshiro, Notes on Villany," by Shibata Tosaburo was a novel serialized in a post-war magazine and later made into a film series from 1963-1969. Kyoshiro was a 17th-century skilled swordsman who was haunted by his violent origin. He was conceived when his mother was raped by a Portuguese missionary. Kyoshiro himself was estranged with society, and had a hatred of both Christians and women. Despite this, or because of it, he was also a complete womanizer--he often disrobed women by slashing their garments with his sword before...err...getting to know them better. Kyoshiro means "deranged fellow", while Nemuri means "sleepy", reflecting his blase attitude towards life, and his cynical and cold posture toward others. Nevertheless, he also pursued the Way of the Sword, and sought a Zen-like detachment from emotions and thoughts, just like Musashi. Note that Nemuri Kyoshiro had NOTHING to do with Kabuki, and was dressed in black, to reflect his personality. He also was traditionally armed with a sword, not a naginata. He DID have red hair, though. Kabuki notes: Senryo Kyoshiro is in the Kabuki costume of a lion. Also note that fans are an essential part of Kabuki theater, and used in dances and such. "Senryo" referred to a Kabuki actor who was famous enough to earn a thousand ryo as a salary. This implies that Senryo Kyoshiro is a top-of-the-line Kabuki actor to be earning so much money. Charlotte In 1972, Riyoko Ikeda wrote a famous manga (Japanese comic) series called The Rose of Versailles. It concerned the various dealings in Versailles right before the French Revolution. The main (fictional) character was Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, an aristocratic woman who wore men's clothing and a sword, and became the head of the guard at Versailles. Despite her background, she later turned on her employers and joined the French Revolution. Note that Charlotte throws a rose every time after winning a fight. As far as I know, Oscar never visited Japan. ^_^ SS2--Charlotte throws roses again. Also in her scene, the carpet has a giant rose on it and there are bowls of roses at the ends of the hall. And she's still at Versailles. "Rose of Versailles." Hmmm... Shiro Amakuza Shrio Amakuza (1622-1638) was also known as Masuda Shiro Tokisada. He led a Christian-inspired uprising in the Shimabara region of Japan. His father (Masuda Jimboye Yoshitsugu) was, ironically enough, a samurai. Heavy taxation and persecution caused the peasants and ronin of the Shimabara region to revolt, the last challenge to Tokugawa authority until the opening of Japan in 1868. Amakuza became their charismatic leader, and they gave him such titles as "Heavenly Master" (his nickname in SS is "The Child of God"), which is of course unorthodox, at least to European Christianity. The rebellion was eventually crushed, although Amakuza's body was never recovered. Note that a lot of Amakuza's quotes make sense once you consider his background... Kibegami Genjuro Genjuro is inspired by the Japanese Hanafuda card game. Thanks go to Greg Kasavin, Kenichiro Tanaka, and Spencer Olson for originally posting information on this: The Hanafuda (flower card) game is made of a deck of 48 different cards where you try and match suits to make high scoring combinations. There are 12 suits, each representing both a plant and a month. They are pine, plum, cherry, iris, wistaria, peony, clover, grass, chrysathenum, maple, willow, paulownia. There are also four different ranks: the plain one with nothing but the plant (1 point), the plant with a fuda (paper strip with poetry) (5 pts), a picture with the plant and another object (10 pts), and an even more elaborate picture (20 pts). Virtually EVERYTHING about Genjuro is a reference to the Hanfuda deck: --Genjuro's Sanren Satsu consists of three different attacks, the Boar, the Deer, and the Butterfly. When he completes the three slashes, he shouts "InoShikaCho!" which are the three respective animals. Look closely and you'll see those animals on the cards, which are exactly as they appear in the Hanafuda deck (10 point wistaria, maple, and peony, respectively). In Hanafuda, these three cards are together a high-scoring combination. --Genjuro's Card Throw when it hits shows cards from the cherry blossom suit. An A is a plain cherry blossom, a B is a 5 pt cherry blossom, and the AB is a 20 pt cherry blossom, the same card that's used in his weapon breaker. --Genjuro's uppercut briefly shows a pheonix's head at the arc of the slash. The head surrounded by the purple slash (actually wings) is an image from the 20 pt card in the paulownia suit. --Genjuro's Power Special displays either the highest or lowest cards of each suit. When blocked, the lowest cards fly out. When he hits, the five "lights" (highest ranking cards) are shown. The five lights are the highest combination you can get in the game: 1. Crane--pine suit 2. Man with umbrella and frog--willow suit 3. Pheonix's head--paulownia suit 4. Moon over hill--grassy suit 5. Curtain with cherry blossoms--cherry blossom suit --Genjuro's stage itself is right out of Hanafuda. An entire suit of the grass cards consists of a grassy landscape at sunset with a big moon over on the left. The 1 pt cards have only the grass, while the 10 pt card show the flock of birds that fly across Genjuro's background. The 20 pt card has the moon over the hill. The grass, incidentally, is called Sekagi and that's why his stage is appropriately titled Sekagigahara. However, Genjuro's scene takes place in November, while the grass suit is August. --When Genjuro is split open, 1-pt cherry blossom cards spill out. --When Genjuro puts on his kimono, there is an image of a paper with poetry on it, lined on either side by blossoms. This is from the 5 point cherry blossom card. The wine dish is from the 10 pt chrysanthenum suit. The pose with him holding an umbrella with a frog nearby is an image directly from the 20 pt willow suit. Note: The main character in Jubei Ninja Chronicles is called Kibegami Jubei. Hmmm... The following characters probably don't have a historical or fictional basis: Nakoruru--She's basically your typical kawaii anime character with a knife. Nakoruru wears the typical dress of the Ainu, as does her family. The Ainu believe all natural objects and creatures are manifestations of kamui (gods or spirits). This is probably the basis of Nakoruru's nature worship. Galford--First, San Francisco did not exist during the time of SS. Second, there were of course no ninjas in America at that time. Galford is probably an original creation by the designers. Earthquake--Texas also did not exist at this time, and he's an anachronistic ninja too, as his nickname says. Musashi did fight a person skilled with a kusari-gama named Shishido Baikin, who was also portrayed as somewhat of a roguish character. But that's probably it as far as background goes. Gen-An--Gen-An is not a tengu, because: 1) tengus may be mischievous, but are never evil, 2) They have beaks and wings, 3) They live in dense, mountainous forests, not caves. Gen-An is not an oni, because they have horns and fangs, and traditionally wield spiked clubs and mallets. If anything, he's probably a generic Japanese hobgoblin or some sort of degenerate human. Nienhalt Sieger--As many people have pointed out, his name is sort of a joke. It means "No Halt Victory." Historically, Sieger would most likely be a Teutonic Knight, a Germanic order of knights. However, their symbol was a black cross on a white field, not a lion. Also, they were not allied to either the Holy Roman Emperor nor the Prussian King, but were basically an autonomous order. The "Knights of the Red Lion Knight" that Sieger belongs to is probably a total fiction as well. Tam-Tam--The FAQ states the inconsistencies pretty clearly. Tam-Tam supposedly is Incan but: 1) Quetzacoatl is an Aztec god, 2) the Incans didn't have steel, 3) he looks like a Maori from New Zealand, 4) his dress looks Aztecan. Cham-Cham--To my knowledge, boomerangs were not found in the New World. Paku-Paku also looks like a chimpanzee, which are not found in the New World either. And of course, there's her green hair.... However, as a possibility, there was a pre-Incan society called the Chimu, whose capital was called Chan Chan. They fished and traded for a living. After hiding from the Spainards, they overfished the nearby water sources and eventually were starved out of existence. Not a definite lead, but many interesting coincidences nevertheless... Sources Unknown: Mizuki Rashoushin--No idea whatsoever. Mizuki is dressed in the traditional white blouse and red skirt of a Shinto priestess or priest-assistant (the Shinto priesthood is predominantly male). Note that the weapon she uses is a gohei, which is used both as a purification device and a symbolic offering to the kami in Shinto rituals. Of course, it isn't nearly as dangerous a weapon in real life. ^_^ Special Note: Kuroko Koroko are an essential part of Kabuki. They are best described as a cross between a stagehand and a personal assistant to the actors. Their many tasks include adding or removing props when needed, wiping persperation off of an actor's face or bringing him water, assisting an actor in changing a costume while on-stage (!), and other necessary tasks to ensure a Kabuki performance runs smoothly. They are dressed in black so as not to be seen (traditional backgrounds were often dark so they blended in) and wore a black flap over their face to signify that they were not "real" people in the play. They did their work as quietly and quickly as possible, so as not to be noticed. The red and white flags that Kuroko waves are used by referees in kendo matches in exactly the same manner--when a hit is scored the appropriate flag goes up. Sources: Lives of Master Swordsmen by Makoto Sugawara Ninja, the True Story of Japan's Secret Warrior Cult by Stephen Turnbull Samurai, the Story of a Warrior Tradition by Harry Cook The Heart of the Warrior by Catharina Blomberg Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi (introduction: Victor Harris) China's Imperial History by Charles O. Hucker Manga! Manga! The Story of Japanese Comics by Frederik L. Shodt The Samurai Film by Alain Silver Archetypes in Japanese Film by Gregory Barret The Kabuki Theatre by Earle Ernst Japanese Mythology by Juliet Piggott Hanafuda: The Flower Card Game compiled by Japan Publications Totally Obnoxious Notes to Urusei Yatsura, vol. 15 by Animiego The SS1 FAQ by Mark Maestas and Ewan Ng Greg Kasavin, Kenichiro Tanka, and Spencer Olson (Genjuro info) Shawn Holmes (Amakuza info) Michael Rusignuolo (Sieger info and Cham Cham tantalizer) "Roach" (Wan Fu info) Roger Lai (proofreading the whole thing) --Scott Fujimoto